Steel lumber



W. C. JONES g STEEL'LUMBER Feb; 5, 1929.

5 sheets sh eet 1 Filed Aug. 12. 1926 Patented Feb. 5, 1929. 1

UNITED STATES] PATENT, OFFICE.

WALTER CLYDE JONES, or EVAN'STON, ILLINOIS; WALTER CLYDE JONES, an, EXECU- ron. or SAID WALTER CLYDE JONES, DECEASED.

STEEL LUMBER...

Application filedAugu'st 12, 1926. Serial No. 128,758.

My invention relates to steel lumber. More particularly my inventionhas special reference to steel lumber construction embodying certain improvements over the forms of fabricated unitary sections shown and de scribed in my copending application, Serial No. 63,217, filed October 19,1925. The pres.

contained unitary structure that will serve either as a stud and exterior and interior lathing, or as a joist and associated lathing or flooring, or as any other combination of weight supporting studding portion and relatively thin sustaining plate portions of a building construction.

By means of my present invention, steel lumber sections of the aforesaid character maybe conveniently and economically manu factured, and may be readily handled and installed to serve as a substitute for the woodon members that have heretofore entered into building construction.

In accordance with my presentinvention, I construct a steel lumber section of the'charactor described having thin sustainin plate portions formed of expanded metal he d taut in any suitable manner in the assembled structure, thereby reducing to a minimum the amount of metal necessary for the construction of the lumber section.

In'the preferred form of my invention I make the entire lumber section from a single sheet of thin metal bent to form a corrugated or otherwise reinforced studding portion and either one or' two sustaining plate portions extendingat right anglesthereto and formed of expanded metal. 1

In orderto apprise those skilled in the art how to construct and practise my invention, I shall describe several alternative embodiments of my invention, in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof,

In the drawings: 4

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view showing a Z-shaped self contained and unitary-steel lumber combination section embodying one form of my invention;

Fig. 2' is a perspective view showing the method of assembling the'lumber sections of 'Fig. 1 in a buliding construction;

Fig. 3 is a. modified form of the steel lum-.

ber section of Fig. 1; I a

' Fig, 4 is a view illustrating the steel'lumber section withfmeans for reinforcing the studding portion;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View showing the manner of assembling the lumber sections in a building construction;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional View through the reinforced studding portion;

Fig. 7 shows another form of thesteellum- 7 her section; Fig. 8 1s a perspective View showing'th manner of assembling this form of lumber,

section;

Fig. 9is a detail view illustrating the relative size of a sustaining plate portion before expanding takes place, and also the method of forming a marginal edge for fastening purposes; Fig. 10' is a similar view with a portion of the sustaining plate portion expanded;

11 is a view of the sustaining plate portion fully expanded; i s Fig. 12 is a detailed view showing means for attaching adjacent steel lumber sections to each other in a building construction;

Fig. 13 is a similar detailed view of another form of attaching means for connecting ad jacent steel lumber sections together;

Fig. 14Jis a perspective view showing a modified form of unitary steel lumber section of U-shape;

Fig. 15 is a similar viewof an L-shaped steel lumber section;

Fig. 16 is a detailed view ofa plurality of assembled steel lumber sections looking edgewise thereof to illustrate 'the' compression members that may beemployed to stretch the steel lumbersections apart and hold the exa panded metal portions taut;

Fig. 17 is a sectional detailed view looking sidewise at the aforesaid members;

Fig. 18 is aperspec-tive view of one form of compression member employed;

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of another form of compression member;

Fig. 20 is a view of a plurality of assembler steel lumber sections with alternative means for holding the expanded metal parts taut;

Fig. 21 is a sectional detailed view taken on line 2121 of Fig. 20;

Fig. 22 is a side view of the structure shown in Fig. 20; and v Fig. 23 is a view of a fastening bolt'or pin employed herein.

The term. studding portions as used-herein contemplates a relatively strong or heavy weight, load or stress supporting portionota steel lumber section used as a joist, stud or the like: The terms sustaining plate portion?" lathing portlon and flooring are used synonymously and comprise the laterally'extending portionspanning the space between adjacent lumber sectionsan d' adap'te'dto form the flooringgthe lathing; either external or internal, on the ceiling or side walls and the like; TlIGSGE'BlBmQDi'S'OTE the steel lumber section are relatively thin and light in comparison to the stu'ddin f portion and are of suitfieient width, in con unction with the adj accntlumber sectionswhen installed to span the space between adjacent studding'portions;

Relierringto Figs.- land 2, the permanently organized self contained unitarysteel lumer; com ma ons c on c n) lees-a r c eb b t1 e in 01 j 1 elativ ly thick or reinforced welght support-mg studdingportmn 1 and two sustaining plate portions 2and'3 tha-t extend laterally and in opposite directions from the studding portion'il and adjacent to its edges. The sustaining plate-portion '3 is made of expanded metal constituting a light open mesh construction,

and may. serve as lathingifor a ceiling or a side wall; the sustaining plate 2 may like wiseserve ZLS-lfltlllngfOl a ceiling or wall or, in the position showmior flooring: The steel lumber section is built up in the preferred form of a light piece of material of' uniform.- thickness, bent at right angles to provide 'anzintermediate transverseportion 4 constituting the studding portion 1 and" two laterally extendingplates constituting'the sustaining'plate portions 2 and-3. Strength may be impartedto the studding portion by making it otthic-ker metal by additionofa reinforcing member, by corrugating the same, or the like. In the steel lumber section1illustrated in. Figs. .1 and 2 a:reinforcingchannel member 5 of suitable thickness an d strength may be attached tothe studding portion 45in any preferredrmanner, say. as by-v spot weld-- ing'as shown inzFig. 1. A bent over portion 6sservesasan exposed flange formed upon thestudding: portion 1 oi: the lumber section. Flange 6 projects from the studding portion 1 opposite -to the lathingportion 3 andhas its lower sun-face preferably coplanar with the lowerrsur face of the-lathing portion 3. At the opposite end ot channel member 5, a similarflangeS may be formed, but spaced below the upper surface of the sustaining.

plate 2 to permit this plate to have a recess or depression 7 formed therein in order that the outer edge of the flooring portlon of the ding portion .lmay be. formed.byiplazcing the:

members 4 andi5 baokto back and spot'weld+ ingLthe-m :togethenpbuti it isobvious that thesemembers may be secured together iii any other: suitablew'ay.

In Fig. 2, the steel lumber sections offl ligr.

1 are'shown in assembled positionin'a buildingiconstruction. The. sustaining pl ate portion12:1nay'constituteia copla-musurface that may senve, if. desired, .asthe flooring; ot' the upper 'level. Likewise, the sustaining: plate portions 3arecoplanar and,.by reason of being made of: expanded metal with proper. fastening; marginsand the metal maintained. taut, may serve as-lath1ngtfor the CelllllgiOf a lower story of the budding. The studding. portions serve as-the weight supporting. elements of the lumbensectionsand assist by. virtue: of their rigidity to hold the expanded: metal of the sustaining:v plate por tions-taut. sustaining; plate of each; lumben section are received and supportedin the recessed portions 7 formed: in the adjacent. sustaining plate-2;.se thattthe'floorin'g. portions 2 may form a-r continuouscoplanar surface. The

lathing; portions '3' are provided: at their:

outerredges with offsets- 1:1, and, whenthe lumber: sect-ion 1s-1n assembledposition, thls offset" 11: rests upon. flange 6 on the studding.

portions 1 of the next adjacent lumber sec.-

tioin. In this tashiom the sustaining. plate lathing portions 3 are supported at their outer:edges.- upon: the stud'cling portions of the adjoining'lumberz sections;v

The overlappingi.edges lOand 11 of the upper" ands lower adj oining sustaining plate portions 2 and 3 may be securely tastened-toadjacent steellumber sections in any desired. manner, as shownafor'instancem Fig; 2, in

which bolts 13 have split resilient. legs 14- whlchwill. spreadand-hold the bolts 1n POSI-Y Ehe outeredges 10 of the. upper:

tion upon:being drawn through suitable holes.

in the overlapping sections. '7 Other-methodsor forms of fastening can: be employed if desired. Fastening means of various-kinds are shown in'my aforesaid copendmg; application and alsoin another copending application, Serial No. 64,767, filed September 26,

The steel lumber sections may be made into standardlengths, viz, 12 feet, 14 feet, 16 feet,

or the like, corresponding to the staudard- .ized lengths IIIWlllCll wooden lumber here tofore employed inbuilding construction has been furnished. In conformity with standard dimensions and spacing of members em- 6 wide or larger, and about 7 more orless i 111 thickness and the expanded metal sustaining plate portions 2 and 3 may be 12",

16", 24" wide, or like, and more or less in thickness. It may be desirable to space the studding portions ofadjacent lumber sections greater or less distances from each other than those mentioned and also the depth of the studding portions may be increased or decreased, as desired, as well as the thickness of the parts. The same comments pertain to the dimensions herein specified for the expanded metal sustaining plate portions. All dimensions given are merely illustrative.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a modified form of the steel lumber section in whieh the relatively thick studding portion 15 is built up of two thicknesses of metal 16 and 17, which may be permanently secured together by means of spot welding, or the like. The portion 16 is formed from a. plate of uniform thin expanded metal portion 21 and theflange 20. While it is not necessary, I prefer'to' make these members of uniform thickness because a simple, relatively light and economical steel lumber section can thereby be produced.

In 4 I show means for reinforcing the studding portion without employing a separate reinforcing member. The section 22 may be formed from an integral sheet of metal of uniform thlckness and bent to provide a central studding portion 23 and one or more expanded metal portions 24 and 25. The portions 24 and 25 are expanded, either before or after the bending of the lumber section to form'the central studding portion 22. The

- section may be reinforced at the studding portion 23 by'the formation ofa series of suitable corrugations 25 which stiffen or strengthen the metal. If used in a partition wall the corrugations 26 will impart sufiicient strength to the studding portion to carry the load. If used as a rafter, as where these steel lumber sections are assembled to constitute a ceiling and a floor, it may be preferable toemploy other types of reinforcing means, as,for in- The manneror means employed to reinforce the central weight carrying studding portion 22, if reinforced at all, is a matter of choice, depending on the conditions ofuse and the load to be supported. i r

In Fig. 5, the lumber sections of Fig. 4 are shown in assembled position in a building construction. The sustaining plate portions 24 and 25 by virtue of their expanded formation, may serve as lathing to receive the wall plaster. The structure will constitute a relatively light and strong, but comparatively economical 'wall. The corrugating operation may be readily performed at the factory or in the original rolling of the sheet to provide suflicient strength to the studding portion. without'requiring separate members and the sustaining plate portions intheir expanded relation will require a minimum amount of material.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I of lumber section employing the expanded metal for the sustaining plate portions 27 and 28. The self contained built-up unitary steel lumber section shown in Fig. 7 comprises a central studding portion 29. Herein, the sustaining plate portions 27 and 28 are formed from separate relatively thin plates have shown another form which are bent at their edges to form upstanding flange portions 30 and 31, respectively. The flanges 30 and 31 are received between two members'32 and 33, each being provided with flanges 34 and 35. The members 32 and33 are positioned back to back with the flanges 30 and 31 interposed between them and all are permanently secured to one another, preferably by spot welding in order to form a relatively strong weight supporting studding portion for the steel lumber section. The'flanges 34 and 35 of each member 32 and 33 project outwardlyin the same direction from the studding portion, and the lower flange 35 of member 32 is depressed a distance' equal to the thickness of sustaining plate portion 27, so that this plate portion 27 is coplanar with the flange 35 on member The lower sustaining plateportions 27, 27 etc., are offset at 36 to overlap flanges 35 on-mem'bers 33, so that these plate portions are also coplanar to provide a continuous wall of expanded metal lathing. Various ways of securing the different parts of the building construction shown in Fig. 8 may be employed, and hence. I do not desire to belimited to the use of expansion bolts or pins '37 shown in this figure.

The assembled structure comprising the unitary permanently organized expanded metal sections shown in Fig. 7 may be employed either for the flooring and cooperating ceiling onthe underside between different levels in a building, or for partition, Walls between rooms. When the portions 28 are used for flooring in a modern fireproof re.- inforced concrete building, the expanded metal sustaining plate portions may serve as lathing for the concrete floor Referring, to Figs. 9 to 11, inclusive, expanded metal may be generally describedas metal openwork, held togctherby uncut portions of the metal, and constructed by making cuts or slashes in metal in any one of a variety of 'ays well known in the art, and then opening. them so as'to form a series of meshes. In its simplest form sheet metal may be expanded by making a series of cuts or slits 4L0 inthe metal (see Fig. 9) by a suitable tool in such relation to each other as to break joints, so that the metal, when opened or stretched, will present the open mesh appear ance seen in Figs. 10 and 11. These figures illustrate substantially the operations in eX- panding metal. Vfhen forming the sustaining plate portions constituting, part of my steel lumber sections, a piece of metal of a width considerably less than the expanded product is employed leaving. the metal un-- expanded as beyond the line 4:0 to leave a suitable margin 42, which may be used for.

the mr )ose 0t" fastening'the sustainin plate to t L portions to the central studding portions where built up of several pieces, and also to the adjacent lumber sections during assem bling. Fig. 10 illustrates a portion of the metal piece of Fig. 9 expanded. Fig. 11 illus trates the expanded product. It will be observed that in this instance margins are provided along both edges and that adjacent to the margin 43, any suitable depending flange a l may be provided tosecure the plate portion to the central studdingportion.- Where the unitary lumber section is made from an integral piece of metal, such as-I have shown the studdingportion of an adjoining lumber section. InFig. 12, the 'studding 4L5 isprovided at its lower edge with a flange 46 having an inclined upper face. Flange 46 therefore servesin the nature of a wedge and the outer edge 48 is offset, as shown in Fig. 12, which rests upon flange member 49 is provided with a bent-over shank portion'which is projected through an openingformed in the sustaining plate portion. The manner of assembling the parts when fastening member 49 is employed will be clearly apparent by referring to my copending application, Serial No. 63,217. The fastening device shown in Fig. 13 is in'the form of an expansion bolt or split pin previously described and can be readily employed to advantage in steel lumber structure. It

can be driven through the holes in the over lapping parts andthe split resilient members will give to allow the passage ofthe split The fastening.

menace ness may be employed to form the expanded,

sustaining plate portions 53 and 54C- andthe studding-portlon 52, the sustainlngplate portions bemg expanded as previously dQSCl'llJGCl',

and serving as-lathing for the.walls,-.o1rfloors or partitions.-

In Fig.15, the steel lumberxsection55 is illustrated as L-shaped. Here, also, materialof substantially uniformthickness may be employed with expanded sustaining; plate portions, as before, and P corrugations for. re inforcing or strengthening: the studdingrpon tions. Obviously, many difl'erent shapes, arrangements and L reinforcing meanswill suggest themselves toithose skilled'inthe art in the practicalembodiments of my present in-' vention.

In order to hold the'e'xpand'ed metal: sustaining portions taut when installed; I may employ St1ll811111g01" compression members.

which may be interposed or. wedged between a variety ofways. In Figs. 16'to 19.,=.inclusive, I show compression. members that may be inserted endwise between the studding port-ions of adjacent steel lumber sec-- tions before the pins61' are inserted; the exe panded metal portions being lifted for: thiswedged tightly into position by suitable tools inserted through themes'hes of the expanded metal. Members 60 may be of Ii-be'am ,.chan'- nel, or other formation, or may be simply cylindrical rods suflicient to provide the desired stiffening betweenthe st-udding pertions to hold'th'e expanded-metal taut; when installed; 1

Instead of compression members as'above described, endmembers-(iaand 66bit chan-- ncl baror other: shape may be. employed to which the built-ups-teellumber sections may.

.be anchored to hold: the expanded metal 65 and 66 are anchoredto or supported by the building walls'in any suitable fashion and the steel lumbersectmns may be sucr cessively placed in position, and anchored to the end members 65 and 66 by means of the pins 61. The steel lumber sections may be thus erected between the end channel members 65 and 66 and as the fastening bolts or pins 61 and 73 are inserted, the expanded metal of the sustaining plate portionsis 'pulled taut and maintained in this condition.

have shown an angle plate 71 anchored by anchors 7 5 to the wall of the building to which the first or end steel lumber section maybe secured.

While I have herein shown and described several embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that these are typical and illustrative and not all inclusive and that I do not desire to be limited to the specific structures shown and described since many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: i I

1. A self contained permanently organized steel lumber section adapted to be fabricated completely before installation constituting a unitary structure serving as a combination building element which comprises a central studding portion, and a lat- I erally extending light weight plate portion that is expanded transversely of said studding portion in the form of an open meshwork to impart to said plate portion a transverse dimension sufiicient to span the space intervening between the studding'portions of adjacent lumber sections, the outer edge of said open mesh-work being subtended by a solid marginal portion thatserves as fastenin .means for the said plate portion to the at ljacent lumber section.

2. A self-contained permanently organized steel lumber section adapted to be fabricated completely before installation constituting a unitary structure serving as a combination building element which comprises a central studding portion, and a laterallyextending lightweight plate portion, said 7 portions being of uniform thickness and said studding portion being corrugated in the direction of its depth and said plate portion being expanded transversely of said studding portion in the form of an open mesh work to impart to said plate portion a transverse dimension sufficient to span the space intervening between the studding portions of adjacent lumber sections.

3. A self-contained permannently organized steel lumber section adapted to be fabricated completely before installation constituting unitary structure serving as av said portions being of uniform thickness and said studding portion being corrugated in the direction of its depth and said plate ing means for said plate portion to the ad-- jacent lumber sections.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub scribed my name.v .WALTER CLYDE, JONES. 

